Pamela Anderson 'Didn't Realize How Difficult' It Was for Her Sons to See Their 'Mom Be Sexualized'

• Pamela Anderson discussed her sons Brandon and Dylan seeing her "sexualized" as they were growing up

• The Last Showgirl star also said she "can play again" now that her "kids are grown"

• Anderson previously said Brandon and Dylan "are old enough now to understand the big picture"

Pamela Anderson is reflecting on the "difficult" combination of her image as a Hollywood star and, simultaneously, a mother, earlier in her career.

"Being a working mom and being in this entertainment world and having your mom be sexualized in some way— I didn’t realize how difficult it was," The Last Showgirl actress, 57, said in an interview with Anora star Mikey Madison for Variety's "Actors on Actors" series.

Anderson cemented her sex-symbol status in the 1990s via bombshell roles on Baywatch, in 1996's Barb Wire and more, as well as on several Playboy covers. During her marriage to Tommy Lee, she also endured controversy following the theft and distribution of a sex tape.

But when it comes to her sons Brandon, now 28, and Dylan, now 26, whom she shares with ex Lee, 62, "My kids are grown. I’m free. Now I can play again," she told Madison, 25.

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Related: Pamela Anderson's Sons Share Sweet Messages of Support: 'Your Positivity Is So Inspiring'

Anderson went on to say that she doesn't believe "the past [should] dictate your future."

"But looking back, I was always creating characters. And I feel like I know I’ve created a few Halloween costumes," she continued. "But a lot of the things I went through, I didn’t realize my kids were going through them at the same time."

She noted that nowadays, "I’m not ashamed of the choices that I made, even though maybe in hindsight I would’ve done things differently. But you need life experience to know that you would’ve done that differently."

Since her boys are grown now, "I feel like now I have the freedom to focus on things instead of worrying about a relationship or my family," Anderson added.

In an August cover story for Better Homes & Gardens, Anderson said her sons “are old enough now to understand the big picture," adding, "Of course, over the years, they learned about things in my past, both age-appropriate and not age-appropriate."

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Related: Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee's 2 Kids: All About Brandon and Dylan

“Unfortunately, they thought I was taken advantage of in some ways,” she continued, adding how the “young, bold, hardworking men” offer their mother unwavering support and encouragement.

“They look at me and say, ‘Mom, this is your time,’ ” Anderson noted. “They told me, ‘Whatever you’ve created by being you, just keep being you. We’re going to try and find ways for you to keep doing what you love but also sharing it with people in a way where it benefits you too. You can create a life.’ ”

Speaking with Variety for an interview published Wednesday, Dec. 18, Brandon, an actor-turned-producer, said of the public perception of his mother ahead of the release of her 2023 memoir Love, Pamela and Netflix documentary Pamela, a Love Story, "The category she was in before, she was just very objectified ... her whole career was just positioned towards the male gaze."

"And for us to see the shift after we laid all the cards out on the table was shocking to me," he continued. "I knew at that point that there was going to be this great shift in her career, because she was no longer this misunderstood or threatening personality."

Added Brandon, "She wasn’t this sex symbol anymore. She was a human being, and I think people were looking at her in a completely new light. And I feel like that kind of reintroduced her to the world. It feels like everyone’s rooting for her."

The Last Showgirl is in theaters Jan. 10.

Read the original article on People